Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

Repost of Joe Kennedy Blog from November 2007

Recently, Buster Onley of ESPN wrote a very touching story about the passing
of Rays/A’s/Bluejays pitcher Joe Kennedy. I originally wrote this blog the day
after his passing. I hope you all enjoy it.

Trivia Question:

1.) Abner Doubleday, credited (erroneously) with the invention of baseball
was also credit with what feat in the Civil War?

2.) What city is the only city in MLB to produce two Triple Crown winners in
the same season?

I had just gotten home from work and decided to pop on Yahoo sports to see
what was going on Today. It being a day after the stuffed mushroom and pecan
pie debauchery, I was looking for the lighter side of sports for some
comfort. Was hoping to find out that A-rod was crying poverty over the Yanks’ latest
contract offer to Mario Riviera.

What I found sunk me in my chair and put a huge knot in my stomach. It also
made me rethink my personal life for the ump-teenth time this year since a
similar tragedy in Oct 2006 took another of my favorite players in Devilrays
history to an untimely death.

I hate it when a young ball player dies when he is about to hit the prime,
or redefine himself in their career. Some hit that invisible wall of physical and
mental parts not able to endure the rigors and challenges of Professional
sports. Sometimes their body just can’t take anymore, even at a young age. Some have had past abuses either with steroids or muscle enhancements rob
them of their current and post career lives. Some just hit a mental roadblock
that can not be corrected by human means. The ones that really hit home and destroy me inside is the way that life
ended the life of ex-Ray Joe Darley Kennedy. Media thoughts are running that
Joe might have suffered an aneurysm or heart attack during the night. We will
have to wait for the final results.

Joe had announced his free agency after this years’ World Series, and all
indications were that the Toronto Blue Jays’ and their team president Paul
Godfrey wanted Joe Kennedy for their 2008 staff. Joe Kennedy was in town for the holidays at his wife’s parents home, and was
to be the best man at a wedding sometime during his stay here in the Tampa
area. He had gotten up in the middle of the night and had collasped to the floor.
An ambulance rushed to Brandon Medical Center, but Kennedy was pronounced dead
at the E R. This is the second Oakland Athletic to suffer a tragic and unexpected death
since October 2006. Ex-Rays and A’s teammate Cory Lidle, had tragically perished
in a plane accident after the Yankees exit from the playoffs in 2006

One of my first blogs on here was a tribute to Cory Lidle. He was another
player who befriended me during his tenure with the Rays, and I looked for him
every year when his team would make a visit to the Trop. I did the same for Joe
Kennedy every time he came here for a series. Joe was only 28 years old, but had already been a front end starting pitcher
with our Rays. He had thrown for over 908 innings in the Majors, and had 558
career K’s.

He was selected in the 1998 Amateur player draft in the 8th round, out of
Grossmont (Calif.) J C and went immediately to the minor leagues for the
Devilrays. He quickly rose through the Rays’ minor league organization. Joe was a combined 6-0, with a .099 ERA with Orlando and Durham before
getting called up to the big club (Devilrays) on June 2, 2001. He made his Major League debut on June 6th against the Blue Jays in Toronto
and won 6-2 . He appeared in 20 games that season. During that Rookie season,
Joe had 12 quality starts, only CC Sabathia of the Indians had a better stats(
13). Joe was also 3rd in Rookies with a 4.44 ERA.

He was also the first Major League player since Kip Wells of the Pirates to
win both his first two career starts. Joe was also the first Devilrays in
franchise history to perform this feat. In 2001, Joe pitched in 196 innings and struck out 109 opponents. These
numbers would be his Devilrays best, but only his second best career totals of
his brief Major League career.

I

n 2003, Joe progressed to the point of being announced as the Opening Day
starter. I found Kennedy to be the kind of pitcher who would not be afraid to
go inside on a batter or ” buzz the tower” if needed. Every good pro has a mean
streak in them. I can attest to personally knowing that the guy was a true professional and
enjoyed his time here with the Rays. I spoke to Joe on occasions during BP and
always found him to be funny and very intelligent.I guess I was one of those people who knew that Joe would be traded at some
point in his career, but had hope it was after he had garnished that 10-win
plateau with the Devilrays

.

Joe might have seemed soft spoken and reserved to the crowds at the Trop.,
but he was a fierce competitor and was always going to the mound with the
belief he could to win every game. That was a quality that I greatly admired in
him. Going out with the idea you are going to win every time you take the
rubber. I know you are going to say that every pitcher does that, but in truth, they
might in their words, but in their minds there might not be that total
commitment. Joe always felt he could win, that that is the basic mindset of a
great pitcher.

After Joe left the Rays and pitched for the Colorado Rockies, he got close to
that 10-win plateau. Joe only got 9 wins in 2004, but produced 117 strikeouts
for the year. He was traded to the Oakland A’s during the All Star break where
he was again considered a valuable member of the pitching rotation. He garnered
a 2.31 ERA in 2006, a career best for Joe. In 2006, he was rewarded with the
number five slot in the starting rotation. In 2007, Joe found himself as number 5 man in the rotation, and fell upon
bad times and was put in the A’s bullpen and working only late inning and
situational opportunites. He got another opportunity with the Arizona
Diamondbacks (3 games), and the Toronto Blue Jays (9 games) during the past
2007 season.

Joe produced 43 victories in his short career, but his last one was fitting.
He received his 43rd win versus his old Rays team on September 29, 2007. Joe had the fantastic pleasure of becoming a Dad this past year and was
looking forward to time with Kaige and his wife before the February mandatory
reporting date for pitchers’ and catchers. I will miss seeing Joe Kennedy pitch. More for the fact that he was a ture
professional and was always in the game both mentally and physically. I know he
was just hitting the stride in his career and could have produced some great
numbers as a member of that Blue Jays staff in 2008.

Joe is survived by his wife and new son Kaige and currently lived in the
Denver area.

I hope that there is an afterlife. I can then again see people like Cory and

Joe pitch and have that pure vision of seeing their ear to ear smile or
grin knowing they were doing something they truly loved to do in life.

God Bless you Joe Kennedy, ………………I will be in Right Field
watching you play in that league someday myself….. And I will always cheer
for you as a truly great person and pitcher

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